The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-02-25
CONFEDERATE SHOES.
GRoTESouE ExPEDlENTS REsoRTED
TO DURING THE CIVIL WAR.

A Wooden Shoe One of the First In
yentions Patented Under The Confeder-
acy-Wooden Bottoms in General Use.
Material for Uppers.
The dearth of leather also drove the people
to all sorts of grotesque expedients. Sole
leather especially, owing to the difficulty
. which the small tanneries experienced in its
production, was extremely scarce. Wood,
which had long been worn to limited ex-
tent by the slaves in some localities, now
came into general use i'm the making of shoes.
A wooden shoe was among the very first in
ventions patented under the Confederate
government In the beginning consider
able variety of shapes prevailed. Some could
do no better than dig out rude wooden
receptacle for the foot, a travesty on the
sabot worn by the French peasants, strip of
leather being attached to the top by means of
which the clog was secured to the ankle But
by far the best and most comfortable style,
and one whichswas adopted whenever the ad-
ditional leather required was to be had, was a
simple sole of ash, willow or some light wood,
to which full leather uppers were fastened
with tacks. Al first these were so thick, in
order to insure durability, that among their
various other effects was that of adding very
sensibly to the stature of the community.
Later on it was found better to make the
sole thinner, and protect them from wearing
by mailing on their bottoms light irons, SINH
lar in shape to a horseshoe. They are neces-
sarily the noisiest shoes ever worn, announc-
ing the approach of their wearers at good
round distance. When the air was clear and
the ground frozen one was by this means
kept well apprised Of the movements Of his
immediate neighbors. Especially did their
telltale clatter make them the abomination Of
the negro in his nocturnal rambles. To the
dismay Of nervous people and careful house
wives, their effect indoors was something ter
rife, though after irons came into vogue and
lessened the impacting surface the clatter
was toned down to something under the
tramp of horse. Nor were they much less
destructive to floors, while carpets simply did
not exist in their wake Despite the scrub
bing and securing of a quarter century, their
marks are yet to be seen in some houses.
USE OF WOODEN BOTTOMS.
The use Of wooden bottoms for shoes was
by no means confined to the negroes. They
were worn by the majority of laboring peo-
pie, as well as by many Of both sexes who
had been reared in affluence The scarcity Of
the last winter of the war drove families into
them, except the little feet which could not
be trusted to steer such craft, but bore their
share of martyrdom by being imprisoned
throughout the livelong dreary months.
Great skill and caution were requisite to
keep afoot in wooden bottoms at all. A queer
spectacle it was too, to see ones fellow beings
r&n
universal misgivings as to the safeness of the
earth's crust. One may forget his first feat
with firearms and even his exploit on skates,
but never his first fight on-or, to be accu-
rate, his first abduction by wooden bottoms.
II the soles, which, in a clumsy attempt to fit
the foot were shaped like rockers, were once
set in motion, they persisted in inexorably
fitting one forward, especially In descending
a hill, till volition was utterly lost, and moth
ing short of an ascent OF fall could arrest
them. However, in time they became COM
paratively manageable, one getting able to
choose his own path, as well as to have some
small voice in stoppages.
Uppers were made of such random pieces
of leather, Or of anything bearing the faint
est semblance of leather, as could be lighted
on. Carriage curtains and buggy tops were
acceptable. In some cases old morocco
pocketbooks were converted into children's
shoes, while many ladies managed to fashion
themselves sort of moccasin out of the
most heterogeneous and unpromising mate
rials. Woe to the careless wight who suf-
fered mis- saddled horse to stand out near the
church, store or postoffice after nightfall!
The chances were that when he went to
mount he would find that some one had ap-
propriated his saddle ckirts for sole leather,
unless he had forstalled such an act by ap-
them to that end himself f-At-
lantic Monthly II.